Government Taking Steps to Ensure Food Security

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, has outlined some of the Government’s plans to ensure growth in the agriculture sector that will satisfy the food security needs locally and in the region.

He highlighted the gains the poultry industry experienced last year, despite the major setbacks caused by Hurricane Beryl and subsequent consistent rains.

Mr. Green stated that while 200,000 birds were lost after the hurricane, the country experienced a three per cent growth in poultry by the end of 2024, ensuring that chicken was available for the Christmas period.

The Minister stated that the resilience experienced in the poultry sector is due to the partnerships and policies that were previously cemented, while adding that should these be replicated throughout the agricultural sector, they will accelerate growth.

“Part of that partnership that we want to build upon is our partnership around research and development. I have seen that in the poultry sector, we have been able to put a model together. How can we export that model to other areas?” Mr. Green said.

“We’re spending significant sums trying to ensure that Bodles [Agriculture Research Station] returns to its centre of excellence for tropical agricultural research. In fact, we’re on a programme where we’re going to be spending, from the Government, $6.4 billion over the next six years to really revitalise Bodles,” he added.

The Minister was speaking at the Jamaica Broilers Group Agri-Vision Forum held at The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on Tuesday (March 4).

The theme for the forum was ‘Championing Secure Food Production’.

Mr. Green also pointed to the need to have trained individuals available at Bodles, following its rehabilitation.

Consequently, he said, public-private partnerships will be needed to provide access for youth to receive training at universities worldwide and return to Jamica to work.

Another aspect in the journey highlighted by Minister Green to transform the agriculture sector is financing.

He said the hope is to replicate across agriculture, what the poultry industry has done by entering contractual arrangements with farmers, which will be used to create a financing model.

“I’m saying now to our banks, to work with us through the Agri-Invest Corporation, who will come in as the bridge to provide some of those contractual arrangements to ensure that people will be able to see what will be their returns on their investments and that the banks will be able to get back loans that they provide. I think we have seen it work in the poultry sector. We want to expand it to other areas,” Minister Green said.